Botany and Ormiston Times : Botany and Ormiston Times Thursday December 3 2015

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Botany and Ormiston Times, Thursday, December 3, 2015 — 31
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■■ By Marianne Kelly
Lance Martin’s battle with
itinerant possums in his
Mission Heights backyard has
resulted in a welcome donation
of money to the volunteers who
are restoring the Mangemangeroa
Valley and an ongoing relationship
with a major retail chain.
When The Warehouse Botany
team won the company’s in-house
regional Environmental Award in
October, part of the deal was that
the $400 reward should be donated
to a local environmental cause.
Mr Martin is the assistant
manager at the Botany store and
was quick to come forward with
his suggestion that the money be
donated to the FOM (Friends of
Mangemangeroa Society) volunteer
group.
He had read in the Times that
FOM was asking for residents
surrounding the valley who were
experiencing problems with pests
such as rats, possums and stoats,
to contact the organisation with
information about their experience.
“I have been catching possums
for two years in a row, and our
property doesn’t even border the
reserve,” he says. “ We’re in suburbia
and we’ve still got the possums.
They love my pohutukawa trees.”
Store manager Mark Hopwood
says the Botany store team is
constantly looking at ways of
reducing environmental costs.
“We scored the biggest reduction
in waste going to landfill and our
electricity costs. We could choose
a group to donate our prize money
to,” he says.
“Lance was dealing with the pests
so we got hold of Allan [Riley FOM
chairman].”
Sally Barclay, FOM committee
member who accepted the $400
donation said the money would be
used to support the planting and
restoration at Mangemangeroa
Reserve.
“I’m thrilled to accept this money,”
she said. “We are working with the
council [Auckland] on how best
to contain pests in the valley and
neighbouring suburban properties.
“ The council officers have said
that if we get the community
involved there is a better chance of
getting results. So we are looking at
putting a programme in place with
local residents.”
A council-funded training
morning has been discussed with
council officers and FOM is hoping
that as many residents as possible
get involved.
A report which recommends wide-
ranging suggestions for funding
the Super City is welcomed by
Howick Ward councillor Dick Quax.
“I welcome the far-reaching
nature of the reports prepared
by Ernst & Young and Cameron
Partners in response to Auckland
Council’s resolution that every
source of alternative funding
should be up for discussion,” he
says.
“I’m hoping that there will be
broad public discussion about
matters raised in the reports.”
Among the suggestions are
a full or partial sale of the city’s
airport, port and water assets;
privatisation of golf courses, parks,
car-parking buildings and marinas;
and sale of its pensioner houses to
a social housing provider.
Mr Quax says matters in the
report which will prove to be
highly controversial include
whether the council should
continue to own pensioner
housing, or subsidise golf clubs, or
sell off a portion of its parkland.
“Other matters will create less
excitement, but we do need
to have a conversation about
whether the council needs to own
nearly a quarter of the Auckland
International Airport shares or 100
per cent ownership of the Ports of
Auckland,” he says.
“Should the council own
parking buildings when there is
no market failure in this sector?
“I knew that the mayor’s vision
of making Auckland the world’s
most liveable city would come at a
cost,” Mr Quax says.
“High environmental standards,
clean fast and attractive public
transport, a city that attracts
international talent and many of
the other aspirations contained
in the Auckland Plan all come at
a cost.
“Five years after the
amalgamation is a good time to
take stock of how we are going to
realise the goals and aspirations of
the Auckland Plan.”
The council’s finance and
performance committee has
agreed to hold a workshop in
February to consider the direction
it wishes to take on the options in
the report.
Further work in the meantime
includes investigating more
operational efficiency gains
including fleet management;
options for Auckland International
Airport shares and Ports of
Auckland; potential partnerships
between the council and the
private sector to develop and
intensify car parks; minimise
duplicated common back-office
functions and operational
costs; and review the council’s
commercial buildings.
➤ No one cares
about our soldiers
We would like your feedback
about what happens when our
men and women come back from
deployment. Where do they go for
treatment and why is it that they
never get publicity or parades
when they return?
These men and women put their
lives at risk and nobody cares. We
would like to hear back from you.
– Gary and Colleen Roberts
Pakuranga, Our House Foundation
Sally Barclay, Friends of Mangemangeroa (FOM) Society committee member,
left, receives a $400 donation from The Warehouse assistant store manager,
Lance Martin, centre, and manager Mark Hopwood.
Times photo Wayne Martin
environMent
Retailer donates to
valley restoration
Asset sales welcome